Tag Archive

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the New Teacher Center conference in San Francisco, CA to discuss teacher leadership. It felt like forever since I used the words “teacher leader” to describe myself, but people have no idea what to do with me since I am in the classroom with a full program and am mentoring and speaking out about different ideas in teaching. Thus, teacher leader. Most …

Nancy Flanagan’s recent post on teacher leadership finally gave me the push to dive into my experience in Washington, D.C., where Dr. Jill Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan hosted us. The function was part of the White House’s new initiative, White House Social, a series of events for people who engage with the White House on social media. Of course, my social media presence helped a bit in …

I wrote an epic post on Edutopia about transforming teacher leadership, especially for those just starting out. Here’s something you ought to know: 1. Know Your Stuff My advice to any teacher leader, new or old: know what you’re talking about. Teachers respect leaders who have expertise and demonstrate confidence in that expertise. Having classroom experience goes a long way, but if our message doesn’t sound classroom-based or substantive, it …

I wrote a little something here as a thought on teacher leadership. Check it at the Collaborateurs: That’s why I ought to start capitalizing the word “teacher” in the phrase “teacher leader.” The term “teacher leader” is so ubiquitous, you can’t help but wonder if people even know what it actually means, or at least have characteristics in mind when they think of TEACHER leadership. We can knock out a …

I’m usually a fan of teacher leadership, but sometimes, it makes me nervous. Observe: I wonder if teachers who are deemed teacher leaders understand why so many of us put teacher in front of leader when speaking in front of teacher leadership. This falls on some of our colleagues too, who jump right into the teacher leadership role and misunderstand what comes with the title i.e. the perception that, yes, …

An excerpt from my latest Edutopia article: Do: Teach Others How to Lead Everyone has expertise in some way, shape or form. Some teachers have great organizing skills (who doesn’t need this?!). Others understand how to put together curriculum materials. Still others have mastered building great teacher-student relationships. Rather than focus on deficiencies, we can play to our colleagues’ strengths and ask them to lead a meeting or workshop on …

More About Me

José Luis Vilson is a math educator, blogger, speaker, activist, and author of This Is Not A Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education. He has written and spoken about education, math, and race for a number of organizations and publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, CNN, Edutopia, and others.

This Is Not A Test

One of the most critically acclaimed education books of 2014 is now available via Haymarket Books or wherever books are sold. Go get yours today!

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